House Theronian
House Theronian 'is an Imperial family of nobles from the Gold Coast, and the dynasty maintaining the title of Count of Anvil. As a family that has existed since at least the late Third Era, it is currently one of the oldest noble Houses on Tamriel. In its early days, the Theronian family became quite notable under the fabled Seris Theronian, a knight-errant and adventurer who became a respected member of the Emperor's court until he vanished in 3E 431. In the centuries that followed, it remained a minor House, barely having any relations or influence outside the Gold Coast for over four hundred years, until Arctus Theronian entered the service of the fugitive Rhaela and Arik Morgan in 5E 136. When Arik V became Emperor of Cyrodiil, Arctus was granted the County of Anvil in reward for his service. Members of House Theronian traditionally value the virtues of honour, duty, and loyalty, after their founder's own beliefs. Since the rise of the Morgan Dynasty, the family's loyalty transferred to the Morgan emperors, though they were once staunch supporters of the Septim and Mede dynasties. The Theronians have dominant traits that are common across nearly all of their members; they tend to have fair complexion, steely grey eyes, and dark blonde hair, and these traits are almost always passed along to their children. On rare occasions, however, Theronians are born with jet black hair. History The history of House Theronian begins with its founding in 3E 428, when Emperor Uriel VII Septim elevated Seris Theronian to nobility and granted him lands on the Gold Coast as a reward for his heroic deeds. From this moment onward, the Theronians were a noble House, with all the perks that came along with that. For a few years, the Theronians were influential members of Imperial society. However, when Seris vanished in 3E 431 and the Emperor died two years later, everything that made them famous was gone. Seris' wife was left a widow, and had to raise a child without father. The influence of House Theronian withered fairly soon, and before long they only maintained influence within the noble society of Anvil and the Gold Coast. Seris' son, Sartorus I, married the daughter of Lord Gweden, Gladys. They had two children: a daughter, Cara, who would later marry the commoner Scipo Lothil and bear child to Janus Lothil, founder of House Lothil, and a son, Tarnus. Tarnus was a great warrior, perhaps greater even than his grandfather, but his heroic exploits remained unsung. Several centuries after his death, the Alliance Against Morgus discovered that he had personally fought and defeated the vampire Morgus Immundus, using a magic-imbued blade forged by the ancient Barsaebic Ayleids. However, he experienced unspeakable horrors during his quest, and though he managed to slay Morgus, the vampire cheated death somehow and returned to Tamriel in the early Fifth Era. Tarnus hid the now-corrupted Barsaebic blade in the central swamps of Black Marsh, in the ancient Saxhleel ruin where he had found it, and the Imperial Inquisition expunged all known official records of Morgus and of Tarnus' exploits. Tarnus eventually married Tonilla Catiotus, with whom he had three children - though Tonilla died while giving birth to their youngest son, Retanus. As the three children grew up, the eldest son Quintus wed Maria Sextius. However, he eventually fell ill and died at the age of 29, and seemingly without an heir. Retanus saw his chance and declared himself head of the family. Unexpectedly, however, Maria turned out to be with child after all, the child having been conceived mere weeks before Quintus died. This son, whom she named Sartorus II after his great-grandfather, was therefore the new Lord, despite being an infant. Retanus was infuriated, but knew he could do nothing but rule in his nephew's name until the boy came of age. By the time Sartorus eventually came of age, however, Retanus' plotting had been made significantly more difficult, as the young man had been married to Calpurnia Umbranox, the youngest daughter of the Count of Anvil, and later had two children with her, Magnus and Jonitus. It was not before Sartorus was in his late fourties that Retanus finally struck; during a feast, Retanus, by now in his sixties, poisoned Sartorus' wine. Though everyone was almost certain that Retanus had been the culprit, there was no concrete proof, and Retanus got to rule as the acting head of the family once more, as the heir Magnus was not yet of age. Retanus knew that he could repeat his scheme with Magnus as well as Jonitus, just like he had with Sartorus, but on the evening that he intended to do so, an unknown figure emerged and fatally stabbed him in the throat, after which he revealed himself to be Eranil Elfblood, and claimed to be an illegitimate son of Sartorus, having returned to exact vengeance upon his father's murderer. He escaped and vanished before the authorities could arrest him, though he returned to Anvil a few years later and pledged his service to his nephew Magnus. Magnus married the Count of Anvil's daughter, Calpurnia Umbranox. Their first child was Malera. However, no other children followed her, and for a period of time, the continued existence of House Theronian was perceived to be in danger, as Jonitus never married and thus sired no legitimate children of his own. Relief did not come until Magnus and Calpurnia were at rather advanced age, and they miraculously had two children immediately after each other: Pimelus and Julia. Pimelus would later marry Sybil Calius and have three children with her; Raxus, Maxima, and Seris II. Seris II was not at all similar to the ancestor to whom he owed his name. He was frail and sickly from birth, and his situation eventually became so dire that by the time he was eight, his family feared he would succumb and pass away. Raxus, Seris' older brother and the Theronian heir, who cared deeply for his little brother, set out to find a way to cure him, venturing into the world despite the protests of his family. After travelling for several months without results, he finally found what he was looking for; a wise and old wizard was willing to cure Seris, if Raxus agreed to sign a contract that bound the Theronian heir to be the old wizard's assistant. Raxus, anxious to find a way to cure his brother, eagerly agreed - and thus walked into the wizard's ruse with open eyes. Seris was cured, but at the very same time Raxus collapsed and died, only to resurrect to serve the old wizard for eternity as an undead servant. With Raxus dead, young Seris became the new family heir. For years, he sought revenge against the wizard who had taken his brother's life, eventually even venturing out into Tamriel on a journey that took him several years. It all proved to be fruitless, however, as the wizard had vanished without a trace. Raxus' murder would not be avenged until generations later. Seris would eventually marry a woman named Stabia Auguro and have one child with her, a son named Janus. Janus proved to have a very wild spirit, which proved very difficult to tame. So difficult in fact, that he ran away from home at the age of sixteen, to travel the world and go adventuring. On his many travels all across Tamriel, he eventually met Verona Catellae, a peasant girl originally from Bruma. She was just as wanderous as he was, so it was only natural that they travel together. They eventually fell in love and married in a small chapel in Morrowind. It would not be until they accidentally conceived a child that Janus returned to Anvil with his peasant wife, where the pair were met with the fury of his father Seris. Had it not been for the intervention from his mother Stabia, Janus would have been disowned. Instead, Verona and their unborn child were begrudgingly accepted into the Theronian court. In addition to their first child, a girl named Plinia, Janus and Verona would have two more children, Tonicus and Rectus, Tonicus being the eldest son and thus the heir. Plinia proved to have inherited the free spirit of her parents, and often went out travelling and adventuring. Janus and Verona allowed it, as they knew exactly how their daughter felt. In her thirties, she would eventually join an organisation that battled bandits, provided charity for the poor, and gave healing to the sick. Meanwhile, the younger son, Rectus, married a woman named Catia Cornella. Tonicus, however, remained unmarried. During her adventures, Plinia eventually, by chance, came across an old wizard. He seemed quite friendly and helpful, but Plinia soon found his mindless servant to have awfully familiar features: ash blonde hair and steely grey eyes. Remembering stories told to her about her great-uncle's folly, she realised who she was dealing with and promptly executed the wizard and the husk that was once her great-uncle, finally bringing the vengeance her grandfather had sought. Back in Anvil, Catia was with child... but not from her husband Rectus. The child actually belonged to Tonicus, the family heir. This turn of events embittered the relationship of the two brothers and left Tonicus with a bastard to raise, a boy called Primus. A few years later, Rectus would sire a son of his own, Narthus. However, Tonicus grew very fond of his son and raised him as his own, despite the fact that Primus was a bastard. That situation changed when Primus and Narthus were in their teens. Tonicus never married and thus had no heir. However, he loved Primus to such an extent that when the bastard turned seventeen, Tonicus legitimised him, therefore changing Primus Harbourborn into Primus I Theronian. This was cause for tremendous outrage not just for Rectus, but even more so for Narthus, who would have otherwise been the next in line after his father. Narthus and Primus would never speak on good terms again. Narthus frequently challenged Primus' claim to the family seat, stating Primus' status as former bastard to be a reason to make the latter's claim illegitimate. As the years passed, he grew so embittered that on the day of Primus' wedding with Marianna Torissis, he gathered a number of mercenaries and assaulted the Theronian estate in Anvil to force Primus and his family out of the ancestral home. However, this assault proved unsuccessful as Narthus' mercenaries turned out to be no match for the Theronian personal guard. Narthus subsequently fled Anvil and settled in the south of Cyrodiil, where he changed his name to Therian, which was, according to him, the true Theronian bloodline. House Therian and House Theronian have remained at odds ever since, entangled in an endless blood feud, as neither branch will admit that the other is the true Theronian bloodline. Primus and Marianna would later have three children: Tractos, the eldest son and heir, Tania, the middle child and their only daughter, and Vespus, the youngest son. Shortly after his fifth birthday, the young Vespus was mysteriously abducted from the estate, never to be seen again. The family grieved for months, and especially Marianna and Tania were wracked by the uncertainty of Vespus' fate. This drove Tania into a heavy depression which lasted for years, eventually culminating in her suicide. In actuality, Vespus was not dead; he had been taken in by a monastic order known as the Golden Crescent. Why they had selected him is unknown, but nonetheless, he was raised, groomed and conditioned by the monks to become an incredibly skilled assassin. The Crescent's indoctrination had not been completely successful, however, and on his 26th, Vespus became disillusioned and fled the order. He would become entangled in the events of ''New Imperia shortly after. Tractos, meanwhile, married Alexia Munia and had one son, whom he named after his father: Primus II. Primus eventually joined the Imperial Legion and in 5E 27 was sent to fight in the war against the Laumer, a foreign race of elves that had conquered significant parts of Morrowind and Argonia two decades earlier. Primus, being a fairly skilled warrior and tactician of noble birth, rose through the ranks and eventually became a Tribune. After some four years of warring, he returned home and married Priscilla Parthenia, his childhood sweet. They had two daughters, Larissa and Teresa. This was significant cause for concern for the Theronian family, as Primus had no brothers - meaning that the Therians would be next in line. The Therians realised this as well, and Narthus Therian's son, the middle-aged Andronus, promptly sent an assassin after Primus, who murdered the Theronian family head in his bed. Now with no head and no heir in the direct line, the Theronians had no choice but to acknowledge Andronus as the new Lord Theronian. Priscilla and her two daughters were forced out of the family estate, and the Therians moved in. The Theronian family guard reluctantly cooperated. As it turned out, however, Priscilla was with child. Eight months after Primus' death, she bore a son, Orthus, which meant that there now was an heir in the direct line. Andronus, adamant on remaining in control of the House, accused her of unfaithfulness to Primus in an attempt to play Orthus off as a bastard. Orthus had the ancestral characteristics of a Theronian, however: steely grey eyes and ash blonde hair. Two weeks after Orthus' birth, loyalist Theronian guardsmen ousted Andronus and the Therians, dragging them out of the estate in the night. The main Theronian bloodline was restored and Priscilla and her children moved back into the estate. Orthus would eventually marry Tessa of House Lothil and have one son with her: Equidus. Equidus was a brash and insolent child, frequently disobeying his parents and on several occasions getting into trouble with the authorities. These traits carried over into his adulthood as well. He married Valeria Tactiae, but never was faithful to her; before he had even sired an heir, he already had three bastard sons, all of them halfbreeds. These bastards were Renille, a half-Breton, Torstig, a half-Nord, and Armin, a half-Redguard. Though Equidus did not raise these sons, they shared a close brotherly bond, and would sometimes mockingly be referred to as the Halfblood Three. It would not be until a few years later that Equidus had a legitimate son: Ichtus. Ichtus grew up to become something of a war hero. When he matured, he joined the Imperial Legion to join the war against the Laumer. His half-brothers joined the war as well, but as mercenaries, not members of the Legion. In a siege on the Laumer-held city of Narsis, Ichtus played a key role in the survival of the Imperial forces. The Laumer staged a surprise counterattack, but the unit under Ichtus' command discovered their hidden troops by chance. Incredibly outnumbered, their chances of survival were next to nonexistent. Nonetheless, they had to relay their discovery; with no regard for his own life, Ichtus fought his way through to blow the horn and thus give the signal. He almost died in the process, left on the field with numerous wounds, but he was successful: the Legion was notified, and managed to retreat safely before they were caught in the middle. The only reason he actually survived was because his half-brothers found him and pulled him from the pile of corpses. Ichtus would marry Ianita Nuncius and have two sons with her: Tectus and Terryn. Their childhoods were mostly uneventful, though when they became adults, Terryn left the court and moved to Cespar, where he settled and became a successful merchant captain. Tectus, in the meantime, fell in love with Beatrix Lothil, a scion of a branch of House Lothil, and married her. They had two children, Arctus and Glendolin. Arctus grew up in fascination of his ancestor, Seris I, and sought to emulate the charismatic and heroic figure of the knight-errant that the House's progenitor represented. He became a knight at early age, having mastered all the necessary skills well before he was of mature age. Notable members * '''Seris I: The founder of the House, Seris I was a heroic and valiant adventurer and former Tribune of the Imperial Legion who established his reputation and his family in the last decades of the Third Era. He vanished two years before the outbreak of the Oblivion Crisis, but inexplicably resurfaced in the aftermath of the Golden March, three centuries later. As it turned out, however, this was not him, but rather his armour, magically animated with its late owner's memories. * '''Vespus: '''Vespus is the youngest son of Marianna Torissis and Primus I. At his fifth, he was abducted from his home by a monastic order known as the Golden Crescent. He was trained and conditioned to become an assassin, and he carried out this duty for over two decades. However, he eventually became disillusioned with the Crescent's doctrines and fled when he was 26. He would later join forces with the fellowship that was thwarting the Golden March. * '''Arctus: '''Arctus is a knight-errant and, as the oldest child of Beatrix Lothil and Tectus, the current heir of House Theronian. His admiration of his ancestor, Seris I, drove him to a life of swordsmanship and courtly romance. He entered the service of Rhaela and Arik V Morgan after their brother Aerion attempted to slaughter the attendants of his wedding. This makes him the first Theronian to have recognition with members of the imperial dynasty since the Third Era. Family tree Category:Morgannic Canon Category:Factions Category:Houses Category:Bloodlines Category:New Imperia